The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-19
From q Third Story Window and is
Picked Up Msngled and
Bleeding Corpse.
SOME THRILLING ESCAPES EP-
FECTED BY ROPES
Made Of Sheets, and by Jumping TO
Telegraph Mrs, While some
Perish In the Flames.
A BOPEOF BED CLOTHES BREAKS
WITH A GIRL
At the Fourth Story, Which Almost
Crushed, but Still Did Not
XIII Her.

BUFFALO, MY, March 1s.-Another
calamity has visited Buffalo. The
splendid new Richmond Hotel, at the
corner OF Main and Eagle streets, was
totally destroyed by FIRE early this
morning, together with the st. James
Hall and other adjacent property. This
most distreesful part OF the d saster Is
the loss OF several human livee, Al.
his writing 10 o'clock am 1t is i'm
possible 10 say just how many persons
are killed and injured, but tho mum.
Der is large. The rapidity OF the fire,
cutting OF means Of escape, led some
persons to leap for life from the win
dews. Others got down the flre
escapes Or on Hayes ladders, raised by
the fro department.
THE sHRIKKs AND CRIBS OF THE POOR
PEOPLE
in the upper stories OF the burning
structure were heartrending. 0ne
man, Md with terror, leaped from a
third story window, aud Twas picked
up from the stone sidewalk on Main
street a manaled and bleeding corpse.
Several who succeeded In making
their escape were badly injured and
burned, and some OF these will prob.
ably die. Others, mora fortunate, o.
capped with slight injuries. Many Of
the wounded we're taken to Carnsy's
saloon, and afterwards to hospitals.
--mong these was F. II. Bryant, a
New York travelling man, burned
about the feet and hands; Hon. NV.
Barse, Clean, terribly burned about
the hands aud wriste. Robt. Stafford,
senior proprietor Of the hotel, with his
wife, occupied rooms on tho second
floor, and had narrow escape. Ter
TOR overcame everybody, and even
those who escaped in Batety were in
many cases Frustrated by their awful
experiences. At 0 o'clock the estimate
OF the loss OF life was stated to be
twelve, but this Is In a measure mere
guess work. There were 1875 persons
In the hotel, seventy of whom were
transient guests, eight boarders, and the
remainder porteru, bell boys, the fam.
lilies of the proprietors aud clerks.
twenty-five OF these were rescued
from the windows by the fremen,
twenty-five are at the hospitals, and a
large number made their escape by
other means. The origin Of the fire is
not yet known.
William n. Airport, the night clerk,
says: "The fire started In the cloak
room under the main stairway a. 3 .O5
o'clock. There was nobody up but
myself, Joe, the night porter, and
Plummer, the bellboy. l pulled all
four OF the fire. ALARMS on tho different
floors, and the
PEoPLB CAME FLYING DOWN STAIRS IN
THEIR NIGHT CLOTHES.
The 6ra followed the elevator, and
inside OF fiva minutes 1t reached the
top floor. rushed out OF doors after
doing all could"
Bellboy Plummer tells his expert
ence as follows: ~ was dusting the
reading room when l heard a shout
aud saw tho flames coming up the
stairway from the basement. MIR.
Airport and turned on tho hose uuder
the stairway. We Strengthened the
hose out and turned the valve, bat the
water would not run, Then we gave
the alarm. The watchmaA and got
plank and broke in the Eagle street
entrance to the hotel. Then we got
the plank under the fire escape on
Elgle street and helped people down.
think there were about eighty-four
gues,rI n the house."
The spread Of the 4 meB is said to
have bsen iIigh,iul in It's rapidity.
The elevator shalt served as tlue for
the flames and they rushed up TO the
top floor in very few moments. As
the guests we're aroused and saw the
interior exits cut of they turned to
the windows They could be seen In
their night clothes standing out clear
end vivid before the lurid background
of the flames. Their screams were
horrible to hear, and they could be
hoard for blocks. The flames spread
to the southeast side OF the hotel Il rst.
The firemen did noble work and con-
fined the Are 10 the narrow limits Of
the three buildings named. The work
OF II scue had many exciting incidents.
The tt 4 sph wires we're, as usual, In
the way OF this ladder brigade, aud
much valuable time was lostiu getting
the ladders past them. Among the
guests in the hoel were about twenty
Insurance agents who had come on to
adjust the Losses of the great fire at
Miller, Greiner K Co.'s and the Courier
office on Tuesday.
PERHAPS THE MOST THRILLING RscAPE
OF any was that OF Pres. Whitta-
ker, stepson Of Proprietor Stafford
He roomed in the fifth story and when
aroused stepped to the window and
looked down for a few seconds. Then
delib r4tely dressed himself and
emerging from the window stood on
the stone Gaping shove the window
beneath. From this cappiug he step
ped 10 the next one, along the front o.
the building, and proceeded in thil
manner 20 the Hayes truck ladder, al
the other extremity Of the front. III,
nerve and coolnCss displayed were re
msrksblc. William H. A port, nigh
clerk, states that he was sitting in tn,
Office ct $40 o'clock, when be saw
ref c ion on the floor. Turning arounC
ne discovered a bltzs In the cloa,
room. directly under the stairway, OF
the main fl)or. TIE flamts at oncl
darted up the elevator shaft with tire
mendous force and in an incredibly
short Epaco OF time the interior OF III,